Small Scales

Feature Article from Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car

Don't be fooled by its mild-mannered sedan looks: This is the stuff of legend. The Lotus Carlton was a Vauxhall Carlton stuffed full of high-performance bits: a twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter straight-six, a six-speed manual gearbox from the Corvette ZR-1, ventilated disc brakes with racing calipers, and more. The result was a sedan that inspired comparisons with the Lamborghini Diablo and the McLaren F1. Spark has done its usual excellent work here. The Imperial Green paint is glassy, and not so thick as to obscure the wonderful details. There are no excuses for scale: Each headrest, for example, is held up on two tiny stalks, while the instrument panel holds legible gauges that reward the extremely nearsighted. The car might be obscure in the U.S., but the model deserves a wide following.
1969 MG MGB GT Mk II
AutoArt
1/18 scale
$99.95www.diecastdirect.com****
Modeling a car like the MGB can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there's going to be huge demand, because of the car's popularity. On the other hand, familiarity means there's no chance that the slightest miscue will go unnoticed. Well, AutoArt can breathe easy--their new MGB GT should please the most critical eye. The coupe's distinctive shape is just right, and the BRG paint flawlessly applied. Under the hood resides a convincing copy of the 1.8-liter B-series four, adorned with tiny, yet legible, decals. Inside, the bucket seats have a soft feel and the delicate spokes of the steering wheel--located on the right--are nicely done. There's some doubt about the chromed wire wheels being offered in the U.K., but that's a minor quibble. This is a wonderfully rewarding model.

This article originally appeared in the January, 2011 issue of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car.